The Preference

Something interesting about doing live comedy is that you move to LA to do it, often enough, but that you only make money at it by leaving LA. There are so many opportunities to see premier comedians and improvisers in LA, but these are gigs that largely do not pay in any significant way. That's not to say that there aren't such gigs in LA, because you can certainly pay a ton to see the big name people do their thing, but the proportion has got to be lower than someplace like Kansas City.

Comedians do these no money gigs for certain reasons. They do them for some notion of being visible, to be with and to make friends, and they do them in the hopes of getting better at their craft through repetition and experimentation. The upshot of all that is that a fan of live comedy can, as I said, see the best there is and pay little or nothing for the privilege. It's a pretty cool thing about being in LA, I have to admit. There is a downside.

Like I said, one of the draws for a major star to perform for no money is that they are offered a venue and an audience with which they can test things, or indulge themselves in things that an audience which has paid serious money would not stand for. For many people, that's a perfectly acceptable trade-off. For me, it's not. When I first got to LA, the prospect of seeing stars up close was an adequate enticement. It's not adequate anymore.

I have decided that I would rather see an unknown kill with full effort and polished material. It's true enough that major star and journeyman comic alike must work out material in front of life audiences. It's just that the journeyman does it at open mics and small shows, ultimately getting to shows at places like iO West or the UCB theater with solid sets. The major star tests his material at those plays and then makes money with in from coast to coast. I could imagine springing for one of those shows, or seeing the unknown with his polished set. The other stuff I can do without.